When Lucy Barton takes her position in the goal, her Lady Knight teammates tend to play with a little more confidence.

Because with Barton in the circle they are not only backed up by one the state’s best net-minders, but an infectious leader.

“She is the leader of our defense, both physically and verbally,” said Centennial lacrosse coach Angela Brunner of Barton, who committed recently to play Division-I lacrosse at Colgate University.

“She is vocal and really gets the team going with her intensity. Her attitude is contagious to the other girls and they really rely on that.”

Barton, a junior that is a product of the renowned Eagle Stix lacrosse program, is in her third year as Centennial’s starting goalie and having by far her best campaign as a prep player.

Through 10 matches this season she has 73 saves and 35 interceptions, has led her Lady Knights to a 9-0-1 record and held six of Centennial’s 10 opponents to five goals or less.

“To be good in the goal you have to have a combination of athletic ability and aggressiveness and she has both of those,” said the Centennial coach. “Her hand-eye coordination is tremendous, she has a great sense of where the ball is and she is extremely aggressive going after ground balls.

*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, spam, and links to outside websites will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides